Amuriat and Busongola North MP William Nzoghi had earlier escaped Police at Rwamiti where road blocks were all the way with an attempt of cancelling their journey.

Forum for Democratic Change President Patrick Oboi Amuriat was today arrested on his way to Kasese for a party meeting.

Amuriat tried to exchange words with the police officers and is seen in the photo trying to remove the spikes that were placed across the road by police.

FDC deputy secretary, Harold Kaija said the whereabouts of their President is not yet known after the arrest.

“We are still trying to find out where they took him; we don’t know where he is,” Kaija told PLM Daily.

“Chairman Saulo Maate of Kasese had organized a meeting of FDC leaders in the district as seen in the program. Public Order Management Act does not in any way stop Political Parties from doing their work. POMA indicates that @PoliceUg is violating the law,” FDC tweeted.

Mr Vincent Twesige, the police public relations officer for Rwenzori east said Mr Amuriat and his delegation were blocked at Kikonzo-Hima town council on their way to Kasese town and advised to return to Kampala until their programme was officially cleared by the IGP.

Tumwesige said they received a letter from the Kasese District FDC chairperson, Mr Saul Maate on October 9 requesting for space to have their consultations and rallies.

On October 10, police advised him to meet all the requirements before they could be cleared, which he did not.

“We advised the party chairman in Kasese to get clearance from the IGP and meet all requirements to support their request for the party president’s visit which he didn’t submit in time,” Mr Twesige said. .

However, Kasese District FDC chairperson, Mr Saul Maate said they are disappointed with the actions of the police even when they have obtained clearance from the Police.

“We are very disappointed as FDC members of Kasese to see that our president and other leaders were blocked from coming to town yet we agreed with police. I have a letter from police dated October 9, clearing our programme and we shall not accept this,” Mr Maate said.

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Mwenda accused Besigye of creating a “radical extremist group” that killed space for debate, tolerance and divergent views in the party leaving the “moderates” (not defiant) side of the party in the fringes. 

Mwenda, initially a former critic of President Museveni said that the incumbent president was a way better option than Dr. Besigye

“For two years now, I have argued on this platform that FDC has been captured by an intolerant, anti-democratic and very uncouth faction of radical extremists led by opposition presidential candidate for life, Dr. Kizza Besigye,” he said. 

Mwenda added that; “My predictions have finally come true: FDC is breaking up: 22 out of its 36 members of parliament are quitting to form a new political party. And these 22 are the most enlightened individuals in FDC.

“Initially, they will present the party as a pressure group to avoid the requirement of returning to their constituencies to seek a new mandate. However one year before the 2021 elections they will launch the party and it has the potential to become the second largest political party in parliament. It will be led by Mugisha Muntu.”

Mwenda, initially a former critic of President Museveni said that the incumbent president was a way better option than Dr. Besigye and “intolerant, uncouth and anti-democratic cable of hooligans” adding that they must be fought “before they put their fingers on our nation’s throat!”

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Muntu was commenting on the recent FDC Reshuffle in which his successor, Patrick Amuriat Oboi dropped big wigs that analysts say are loyal to Muntu. 

“I did my part and the party rewarded me. Oboi should be allowed to do his part as well and he will also be rewarded accordingly,” Muntu noted. 

The General who embarked on his national consultation after FDC lost in all the recent municipality elections added that his consultation is for the good of the party and was going to continue despite FDC saying it a parallel party activity. 

“From the start, I said our consultations were about whether or not there’s space in FDC for diverse opinions since the party had chosen defiance platform. I have since campaigned and worked for the party.”

Mugisha Muntu’s social media message

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ALSO READ: Muntu loses FDC presidency

Below is the full press statement. 

Fellow Ugandans,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all the support you showed our campaign over the last three months. We travelled to all the regions of the country and were overwhelmed by the amount of passion and determination Ugandans have to change the political fortunes of our country.

During the course of the campaigns, it became very clear to all of us that the political culture that has been established by the regime is not only detrimental to our development as a nation, but also very unpopular. People are tired of politicians lying, cheating, pretending and selling to them hot air. Ugandans are ready for change, and with a little more organisation and grassroot mobilization, we can all be a part of that change.

As I speak to you today, doctors have just called off a strike because of horrible working conditions, public prosecutors are on strike because of poor working conditions, the number of decent jobs available are declining, crime is rising and Ugandans are being plunged deeper and deeper into desperation. In the midst of these challenges, the only thing General Museveni is interested in is changing article 102(b) of the constitution to allow him to stand in 2021 and changing the land laws to disadvantage the already disadvantaged Ugandans.

In light of these facts, I would like to announce today that starting next week, we will be going back to doing what we were doing before the campaigns began: joining hands with all like minded Ugandans and partners in building the structures and networks necessary to resist General Museveni’s attempts to change our constitution and to empower Ugandans to take back their country. Specifically, we are going to be doing the following:

1. Mobilizing all Ugandans to participate in the election of LC1 chairpersons and women councils as and when these elections take place
2. Encourage, support and mentor pro-change Ugandans across party lines to offer themselves as candidates in these elections as and when they take place
3. Mobilize Ugandans across party lines to pressure government to drop their efforts of changing the provisions of our constitutional provisions on presidential age-limits and land

Lastly, I know that there are many among you that have been asking me about the recently concluded party elections. As I stated on Saturday morning, I fully respect the outcome of our party’s elections and congratulate the new party president. It is also clear that there are significant, undeniable issues and differences that exist within the party. Some emerged during the campaigns while others have been long-standing. There are some who feel these differences are irreconcilable while there are others that feel they can be resolved. The only way to know what is true is for us to have a frank, open and exhaustive discussion about this not just with the newly elected FDC leadership, but with other stakeholders right from the grassroots to national level. We intend to pursue this consultative process and will have an opportunity to start it on Friday this week (1^st December) when I officially hand over office at Najjanankumbi.

Regardless of the outcome of these consultations, I would like to reiterate this to Ugandans: let us all put the interests of the country ahead of personal or even party interests. Let us focus our efforts on doing whatever we can to build a Uganda we can all be proud of. A country that truly offers each of her citizens the opportunity to prosper, access justices and be united in our diversity and just. This is a vision I have worked towards ever since I was 23 years old and by God’s grace, it will be the vision I work towards for all my waking days. God bless you and God bless this beautiful nation we all call home.

Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Mugisha Muntu

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Adoa beat Forum for Democratic Change’s Alice Alaso in the Febraury 18 elections to clinch the seat.

According the results by the Electoral Commission, Adoa polled 48,762 votes against Alaso’s 32,651 votes on the polling day.

Serere district returning officer, Atim Awori declared Adoa as the winner of Serere district woman member of parliament. Adoa beat Alaso with a big range of 16,111 votes.

However, Alaso logged a petition saying the elections were not free and fair and was marred by intimidation from state operatives who she said tortured her supporters.

While speaking to the media, Alice Alaso, the FDC vice president for Eastern Uganda, explained that the loss of the FDC at parliamentary level was not due to FDC’s waning support but the resistance it faced from the state machinery.

“Our supporters were tortured, beaten and killed by the state institutions including the military and police. This was done where the use of money could not work,” said Alaso, who lost the Serere Woman MP seat to NRM’s Hellen Adoa.

Alaso narrated that what the opposition was up against in Teso sub-region, for instance, was not just the ruling party but a combined force of the state machinery.

“When the campaigns started, there was a whole battalion of the army that was deployed here. But, a week to the end of the campaigns, another contingent was sent in. This army did not only intimidate our supporters, but they physically tortured opposition supporters,” she said.

Alaso added that her supporter Dennis Eyoru was killed on the eve to the election, and also spoke of pre-ticked ballots.

“We have evidence of a car from the ministry of gender that carried the pre-ticked ballots. This car moved with boxes of pre-ticked ballots and we could not do much as people. We raised alarm to the electoral commission but no one came to our help,” she said.

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Besigye adressing Kitgum 

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Photo credit: Reuters

One of Dr. Kiiza Besigye’s closest aides, and also the former secretary for defence at the opposition Forum for Democratic Change, Salim Angoliga vehemently castigated Dr. Besigye’s bid to capture power. Addressing a News Conference on Friday 23^rd October Angoliga said the public should take care when making their discussion regarding the candidature of his former ally Dr. Besigye.

Angoliga who has worked with Dr. Besigye for the last 15 years says the efforts by the FDC flag bearer to capture power will not yield results.  The 62-year-old Angoliga who claims to have no intentions of crossing from the FDC party says that Besigye has no clear plans for the future of this nation. Distancing himself from supporting Besigye as the leading opposition flag bearer Angoliga said he does not support Amama Mbabazi either. When asked about the way forward for the political opposition, Angoliga claimed that it was his obligation to explain to the Nation that opposition has a huge task to identify the right presidential candidate. He further dismissed reports that he was crossing to the NRM party following promises of a hefty package including a ministerial post.

Meanwhile the political assistant to Dr. Kizza Besigye, Francis Mwijukye said that Angoliga should be ignored since the 2nd September FDC Delegates conference rejected him when he contested for the position of Secretary for Security, Defence and Internal affairs on grounds that he was spying on the party. Mwijukye says that Angoliga has no moral authority to denounce Dr. Besigye since he got only 15 votes of the 1000 as compared to Besigye’s 800 votes at the recently concluded FDC delegates’ conference.

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Forum for Democratic Change members of parliament have criticized Police over continued disruption of their Party activities despite efforts to operate within the Law.

Okumu said that it is sad for the country for a party flag bearer to be picked from his home without the area local police knowing. He stressed that the state agents should not push the government political opponents to the wall because they also have capacity to spoil the political space they are trying to protect for the government in power. Okumu said Police should get prepared for daily clashes with the opposition because they’re going to roll out in all 120 Districts of Uganda opening party offices saying it’s within the Constitution of Uganda for parties to perform their duties.

He asked religious institutions not to be silent when citizens’ rights are abused. He noted that the Opposition has not interfered with Police work and therefore, Police should give them room to exercise their Political responsibility.

Tororo county MP Geofrey Ekanya said that FDC is to compile a list of brutalities committed against Ugandans by police under the command of the Inspector General of police General Kale Kayihura and drag him to African court of justice for prosecution.

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Forum for Democratic Change Members of Parliament have said that the fixing of nomination time for President Yoweri Museveni which clashes with the time of the FDC party flag bearer Kiiza Besigye is a test of the electoral commission impartiality. This as the Electoral commission is reported to have fixed both the NRM and FDC flag bearer at the same time.

The FDC members of parliament said that their party booked first for their candidate to be nominated at 10 am on 3^rd October and were surprised to hear the NRM party claiming the same time and date. The MP for Kyadondo East Semujju Nganda said that they will not accept to change for NRM flag bearer to be nominated before their candidate. The woman MP for Serere district Alice Alaso said that its upto the electoral commission to show its independence over this matter.

In other news, FDC presidential flag bearer Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye confirmed that he is confident of winning the coming 2016 general polls but this time saying he is ready to use defiant means to have the win registered on his side.

Addressing a media meeting on 8^th October at his offices in Kampala, Besigye castigated the incumbent for creating unfavorable conditions for the game which according to Besigye are geared towards having him register a mad slide win in the polls which Besigye says will not be observed and asks Ugandans to wake up to reality that they have no powers over the process with the only path remaining is to redeem themselves from the dictatorial regime. He further noted that the electoral commission acts as a walking stick for the president saying this has made the commission partisan as witnessed during the changing of his nomination date and time and instead allocating it to the incumbent.

Dr. Kizza Besigye reminded the citizens that they are not yet independent following the little power they have when it comes to decision making at national level coupled with poverty and lack of jobs. According to Besigye, Ugandans have no hand in the way this nation is governed, how the economy is run, and have no access to factors of production as many have been left homeless by the current regime; and now calls on the citizens to rise up and get back power to fully own this nation for a better future.

He added that at independence the country was supposed to fully take control of everything but it is surprising that the current regime has fully acted like the colonial governments leaving nationals in disparity.

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Hon. Mubarak Munyagwa Mugati-gwabata

Police used tear gas while arresting Kawempe Division Mayor Mubarak Munyagwa Mugati-gwabata  and  over 20 Youth Activists allegedly under the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) while taking Electoral reforms to parliament. Earlier today police beefed up security at all entrances of parliament after getting information that the youths would storm parliament to demand for changes in the electoral laws.

Munyagwa says that he was taking views on the election reforms together with the Youths’ parliamentary committee on the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and in  the process as they forced their way into parliament police arrested them. The Youths say that there cannot be transparent election without constitutional reform.

The youth Activists claim that  they are tired of the parliament which is influenced by the Executive on the electoral reforms.

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